The Butterfly Revolution

The Butterfly Revolution is a novel by author William Butler, first published in 1961.

Set in an American spring camp for boys, Camp High Pines, the novel is written as the diary of thirteen-year-old protagonist Winston Weyn.

Winston, an educated and somewhat bullish boy, is sent to Camp High Pines as a gift for his birthday. Winston's father, who is concerned by his son's lack of interest in "normal" activities such as sports and playing outside, feels attending camp will be a healthy activity for his son.

The campers at High Pines are categorized in three groups: the colours (roughly 9–11 years old), the comics (roughly 12–14 years old), and the zodiacs (somewhere between 15 and 17 years old). Winston, who falls into the middle category, attends camp along with his older brother, Howard, who falls in the latter. Because Winston initially believes he will not like the camp, he brings a few books and the diary his uncle gave him for his birthday. Upon arrival, Winston actually finds the camp to be bearable, and gets along with most of the other boys in his cabin. He is even elected cabin leader, a position he takes not too seriously.

Winston also meets a strange, charismatic older boy named Frank Reilley, who is somewhat influential among the older boys and doesn't seem to take a liking to Winston's intelligence.

Conflicts begin to appear at Walden soon after the boys arrive. One of the first is between Winston and some of the boys in his cabin after he creates a cabin rule that puts a fine on swearing. Later, it begins to become obvious that some of the older boys, most of whom are more or less apathetic about attending the camp, resent the authority of Mr. Warren, the camp director, and some of the members of his staff. When the older boys are forced to go on a butterfly hunt, they are mortified and resist participating in such a juvenile activity. These older boys, led by Frank Reilley and another boy named Stanley Runk (also known as "Runk the Punk"), begin to plot a revolutionary takeover of the camp. Also privy to this process are Winston and a couple of friends of his from the middle age group. The only older boy to voice dissent to the idea is Don Egriss, a thoughtful and introspective African-American boy who is one of the only minorities present at the camp.

Stanley Runk, armed with a large hunting knife, overpowers Mr. Warren and, using him as a hostage, the other boys round up the rest of the teachers, as well as the cooks. After having thrown the adults into The Brig, the camp's "jail", the boys plot to and succeed in taking Low Pines, the sister camp for girls nearby, and capturing the adults there as well.

...
Wikipedia